A new bill in Congress will, if passed, enable communities
across America to connect their trails, sidewalks and bikeways to the places
that people want to go – by bike or walking – within and between communities.
But our U.S. Representatives need to hear from us to make it happen.
The Connecting America’s Active Transportation System Act,
co-sponsored by Reps. Jared Huffman (Calif.-2), Daniel Lipinski (Ill.-3) and
Chris Pappas (N.H.-1), will provide $500 million in direct funding annually to
help communities and regions across the country build connected
active-transportation systems to ensure people can get where they want to go
safely by foot, bike or wheelchair.
This proposal, coupled with increases in funding for
Transportation Alternatives and the Recreational Trails Program, would
provide critical resources for communities to build safe, convenient and
accessible places for people to walk, bike and roll.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s top policy priority is to
create this game-changing opportunity to build a trail and active
transportation system to serve the nation.
“Our research has found that wise investments in connecting
trails, sidewalks, bikeways and other active transportation systems are
creating returns of more than $34 billion in health,
environmental and economic benefits around the country,” said Kevin Mills,
Rails-to-Trails Vice President of Policy. “And that return could even be quadrupled as
more communities have the opportunity to connect their active transportation
systems.
“People across the country want to be able to safely walk
and bike where they need to go. The Connecting America’s Active Transportation
System Act is a major leap forward because it would reshape federal
transportation law to recognize that communities nationwide need safe,
connected trail and active-transportation networks.
“Urge your representative to sign on to the Connecting
America’s Active Transportation System Act.”
Moab Adventure Center, a major tour company, addresses the ying and the yang of the popularity of Moab, Utah for travelers.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT– Taking ownership – and
responsibility – for a pet, a cause or even a place comes after people feel
vested in the pet, cause or place. Take a place called Moab, Utah, for example.
Every year this region known as the red rock playground is a joyful discovery
for thousands of first-time visitors. But as the word continues to spread about
this breathtaking destination, a new set of challenges arises.
On one hand, it’s a blessing to local businesses and economy that this remote
region of Utah along the Colorado River is so popular. On the other hand, with
every sound of an ATV and even with the quieter pace of a mountain bike or step
of a hiking boot comes the potential to erode the playground’s fragile
infrastructure.
“When our guests depart the river after a rafting adventure, or hike out of a canyon
after canyoneering or
step off a horse after horseback riding, or float over all of this
beauty in a hot air balloon, they’re
forever changed. And they ‘get’ why we ask them to become stewards of this landscape,”
says Brian Merrill, CEO of Western River Expeditions that
guides guests through the rapids of the Colorado River. A sister company, Moab Adventure Center, arranges activities for
people staying for a day or a week in or around Moab.
“I don’t think we have a problem of too many people, but we do have challenges
on how to disperse them at certain times of day and in busy months,” says
Merrill. “Our challenge is to showcase the region in the spring, fall and
winter. The beauty doesn’t go away – but the crowds do.”
The region is expanding infrastructure to keep up with visitor demand. In 2020
an additional 500 lodging rooms are scheduled to come on line. However, since
this infrastructure was approved, both city and county have created moratoriums
on new nightly rentals, including turning a spare bedroom into an Airbnb. To
help disperse visitors, regional and state marketing efforts are trying to
divert people to a myriad of iconic sites beyond the bucket list Arches
National Park and Canyonlands National Park.
“Some long-time locals want the town to go to sleep again. Others value the
fact that things are going well here. Fairly recent transplants bring along a
not-in-my-backyard attitude and want to shut the door behind them. I understand
all these sentiments,” Merrill says. He notes that Western River Expeditions
does have approval for occupancy in a building that will house up to 64
employees, helping the company retain valuable seasonal employees and reducing
the demand on local housing.
Jason Taylor is operations manager for the company’s Utah and Moab-specific
programs. His messaging to Western River Expeditions and Moab Adventure Center
guests echoes that of the Moab Area Travel Council. Additional sustainable
practices include giving guests who are on multi-day outings steel vacuum water
bottles they can take home with them, thus eliminating plastic. Recycling and
using energy-efficient tools are imbedded into the protocol, as is the
importance of hiring locally.
In addition, a major part of what Western River Expeditions and Moab Adventure
Center are doing, according to Brandon Lake, VP and Co-Founder of Moab
Adventure Center, is to help guests understand how to create a low impact
during their guided exploration of the area. “Guides who can teach guests how
and where to hike, ride and drive in our fragile landscapes can make a major
difference in reducing impact over those who explore these same areas on their
own without understanding the damage they may be doing.” This is one of the
many benefits to choosing a local tour company to help you experience Moab.
For a copy of Western River Expeditions’ 2020 catalog, questions, availability
and reservations call toll-free: 866.904.1160 (Local: 801.942.6669) or visit
the website at: http://www.westernriver.com/.
Western River Expeditions is an adventure travel company headquartered in Salt
Lake City, with operations and offices in Moab, Utah and Fredonia, Arizona.
Annually from March through October it escorts more people down rivers on
professionally guided rafting trips in Utah, Idaho and Arizona than any other
company. It is the largest licensed outfitter in the Grand Canyon.
Moab Adventure Center (http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/) is
a division of Western River Expeditions and the largest single tour provider in
Moab, UT. Located at 225 South Main St., Moab, UT the center is a one-stop
resource for a myriad of outdoor adventures. It also boasts a 2,000-square-foot
retail space selling adventure related gear, clothing and souvenirs. For
information and tour reservations call (435) 259-7019 or (866) 904-1163.
Venice is one of the world’s cherished places being loved to death by tourists. Rather than being part of the problem of overcrowding in Venice, Wildland Adventures recommends, take the ferry to the small fishing town of Rovinj, where you are welcomed by locals who take you around in a traditional Batana fishing boat. (c) Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
SEATTLE, WA – Certain places on our planet are getting loved to death. Why and what should responsible travelers do about it?
Not long ago, international travel was the purview of the rich and worldly. Today, however, the middle class enthusiastically travels the globe with bucket lists that concentrate attention on the most popular places in the world (and rightly so). Unfortunately, the byproduct of this increase in travel means that If the original character of these places is not in jeopardy now, it soon will be.
Kurt Kutay is founder and president of Wildland Adventures, a travel company that for over 30 years has created opportunities for guests to experience destinations from the inside out. Utilizing the Wild Style of travel, Wildland trips build lasting intercultural, interpersonal and environmental bonds. By impressing sincerity, compassion and understanding at each step of the journey, the aim is to enhance rather than exploit the place and people we’ve come to visit. To this end, Kurt offers 6 Ways to Travel Responsibly in an Age of Over-Tourism.
1. Manage Your Expectations and Emotions As with much of life, aligning expectations with reality is half of the road to happiness. Planning travel is no different in this regard, as you anticipate what you will experience. If we allow preconceived notions of the Taj Mahal or Machu Picchu – without crowds — drive our desire to travel halfway around the world to experience these iconic destinations first hand, we may indeed leave disappointed.
The proper research will help you to align expectations with reality. Ask many questions, but ask the right questions and don’t be afraid of the answers. Most importantly, stay open to the experience before you. It is unknown what lies ahead and that is the magic of travel. Be diligent in letting go of preconceived expectations, they are persistent. Refuse to let them as well as annoyances like crowds distract you from what drew you there in the first place. That’s when the true joy of discovery flows — no matter what it looks like.
2. Find a Local Connection Hire a passionate, local guide help to deepen the travel experience while avoiding the ‘group think’ impact of large tour groups. A good local guide can help skirt the crowds at popular sites and even introduce less-known sites for a unique perspective.
For example, a good guide will take you to the Taj Mahal twice, once to get in line before it opens and later in the afternoon before it closes to experience variable lighting. Kutay remembers his last visit, “Instead of passing through the main gates twice, our local guide took us to the Mehatab Bagh (Moonlight Garden) across the Yamuna River, far from the tourist hordes, where we stood arm-in-arm, standing alone and moved to tears by the beautiful silhouette.”
3. Rethink Your Bucket List Discover wonders of the world beyond UNESCO’s at-risk sites or the favorite ports of call of the cruise industry. Instead of the crowded hilltop towns of Tuscany, try the hills of the Istrian peninsula of Slovenia and Croatia. Rather than being part of the problem of overcrowding in Venice, take the ferry to the small fishing town of Rovinj, where you are welcomed by locals who take you around in a traditional Batana fishing boat.
4. Timing Is Everything — Spend Time at the Right Place Plan your day at famous sites carefully and be sure to get the latest information as local conditions and regulations change constantly. The best plan is familiar the world over. In Croatia, plan to tour Dubrovnik before cruise ship passengers disembark, in Cambodia visit Siem Reap before tour buses disgorge, and in Peru arrive at Machu Picchu before the daily trains do. When you finally are where you’ve dreamt of being, follow slow travel principles and linger longer, but in fewer places.
5. Pay to Play A great many worthwhile experiences cost more. Whether a part of a private and exclusive event or of a carefully managed ecotour that limits the number of visitors, the extra dollars spent help to protect fragile habitats and visitor experiences.
In Africa, this may look like tracking mountain gorillas in Rwanda and Uganda for which there are limited permits. To protect the experience in some locales for years to come, some safaris are very exclusive and conducted in a private nature reserve like Timbavati in Greater Kruger N.P. In Tanzania, the remote camps of Katavi and Mahale require bush flights to access some of the wildest places on the planet.
In South America, the fragile cultural patrimony of the Inca Trail in Peru and delicate balance of nature in the Galapagos Islands are carefully managed by limited permits and fees that control access and provide a source of revenue for critical conservation programs. Advance planning is required to enjoy the privilege of being among the few where limited numbers of permits are allotted.
6. Consider Where You Stay Your choice of accommodations is one of the most important considerations in minimizing impact on the local environs while maximizing the benefits you bring to the local community. Many hotels, camps, ecolodges, yachts and expedition ships are rated for their level of sustainability. They are rated on energy sources, recycling, waste management, water conservation, food sourcing, and other sustainability-focused initiatives. In addition, many are actively involved in nature and wildlife conservation and in educating guests about ecosystems and biodiversity. These accommodations are deeply connected and committed to indigenous culture and the well-being of local communities. The highest rated ecolodges and camps are safeguarding the world’s cultural and natural heritage while delivering the most meaningful guest experiences.
Traveling Responsibly Isn’t About Staying Home
The Center for
Responsible Tourism asserts that traveling responsibly “…is about managing
travel and destinations in an environmentally and culturally responsible way
and designing tourism programs and individual trips carefully to provide
travelers with the experience they seek, while leaving a positive footprint on
their destination.” Destinations are always changing and we have many
choices to make when we travel, “but the important thing is to be mindful of
our impact on the people and places that give us so much and help others to do
the same…and to keep traveling,” says Kutay.
For more information on Wildland Adventures’ worldwide offerings, availability
and reservations, call 1-800-345-4453 or email [email protected]. Visit http://www.wildland.com/.
On World Tourism Day 2019, Patricia Affonso-Dass, president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association offered this message:
The theme of this year’s World Tourism Day, “Tourism and Jobs: A better future for all”, is particularly relevant for the Caribbean because no other sector creates more jobs or more opportunities in a wider variety of professions and skills.
In addition to the 2.5 million people employed directly, many more
benefit indirectly from the industry’s contributions to Caribbean health,
wealth, education and the environment. Our infrastructure, schools, hospitals,
public services, and parks and recreation facilities are all helped by this
dynamic and growing industry – already the world’s largest sector but also its
fastest growing.
The 2017 hurricanes and Hurricane Dorian that devastated some of
our destinations reinforced the indispensable role of tourism in our lives.
They remind us that for each tourism employee unable to work because of the
storms, many members of their families were also affected.
Initiatives such as “Tourism Jobs for Bahamians”,
just launched by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) together
with the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), are finding interim jobs
for displaced industry professionals.
There will be more jobs as tourism recovers from the hurricanes
and the industry resumes its healthy growth trend, and our task is to spread
the benefits more equitably to a wider cross section of our people. We want to
ensure women, youth, minorities, and the differently abled have open gateways
to employment, ownership and leadership within the industry. There are over
1,000 different job and career paths in the industry, a fifth of which are at
supervisory and management levels. Increasing diversity always strengthens
companies and organizations, especially in tourism. Our visitors come from a
wide range of backgrounds, so our people who welcome visitors to our shores
should also reflect the full spectrum of our rich human diversity.
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, with the support of
many of the region’s local associations and our members, is earnest about its
mandate to develop our industry’s human resources. Well over 500 Caribbean
nationals have received higher education scholarships through the CHTA
Education Foundation. More than 1,000 chefs and several hundred bartenders have
honed their skills through professional development opportunities that CHTA and
the industry have provided through our Taste of the Caribbean initiative.
Thousands of employees have benefited from industry-sponsored
professional development training, including over 500 who attended
“diversity in the workplace” courses over the past year. Earlier
this year, CHTA launched its Young Leaders Initiative, in which dozens of
young people are developing their leadership skills and their understanding of
the industry and the opportunities it offers.
This does not include the additional investments that independent
hotels, resort brands, airlines, tour operators, attractions, taxi and
transportation providers, vendors and other industry stakeholders, with their
human resource professionals and employees, are making every day to deliver
exceptional hospitality.
Building upon a rich foundation, we have the responsibility to
make more opportunities to develop our people and our industry, anticipating
technological and consumer demand-driven changes which are now a constant. The
recent collapse of the world’s oldest travel agency offers more lessons. While
never losing sight of the fundamentals of hospitality, the dynamics of our
industry demands our adaptability and responsiveness to change if we are not to
face a similar fate.
Tourism can benefit every corner of our region and so on
this World Tourism Day, we celebrate the importance of the industry
and the employment and entrepreneurial opportunities it represents. We resolve
individually and collectively, as businesses, governments and education and
training institutions, to continue to invest in our people.
In the Caribbean, “Tourism is Everyone’s Business”.
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is the
Caribbean’s leading association representing the interests of national hotel
and tourism associations. For more than 50 years, CHTA has been the backbone of
the Caribbean hospitality industry. Working with some 1,000 hotel and allied
members, and 33 National Hotel Associations, CHTA is shaping the Caribbean’s
future and helping members to grow their businesses. Whether helping to
navigate critical issues in sales and marketing, sustainability, legislative
issues, emerging technologies, climate change, data and intelligence or,
looking for avenues and ideas to better market and manage businesses, CHTA is
helping members on issues which matter most.
WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH 1, 2018 — A group of 28 leading U.S. tour operators and organizations specializing in educational travel and exchanges with Cuba is calling on the U.S. State Department to re-staff its Embassy in Havana and change Cuba’s travel advisory from a Level 3 (“reconsider travel”) to at least a less intimidating Level 2 (“exercise increased caution”). The request comes on the eve of the State Department’s decision about whether or not to return the U.S. diplomats to the Embassy, expected to be announced on March 4.
(The US State Department said it would not restore the diplomats.)
Beginning in late September 2017, after reports that 24 U.S. Embassy employees in Havana had suffered unexplained health ailments, the Trump Administration withdrew 60 percent of its Embassy staff from Havana, issued a Travel Warning urging Americans not travel to Cuba, and expelled 15 diplomats from Cuba’s Embassy in Washington, D.C. In January 2018, the State Department issued a new global travel advisory system, which ranks Cuba as Level 3.
“A Level 3 rating is not justified for Cuba since there are no confirmed causes of private citizens or travelers contracting symptoms similar to the diplomats,” says Andrea Holbrook, President and CEO of Holbrook Travel, one of the companies that signed the petition. (The list of signatories is provided below). “This inappropriate travel warning has caused fear and confusion and has sharply reduced the number of U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba,” Holbrook adds. “It has also affected travel businesses in the States and in Cuba, including those small businesses, like B&Bs and home restaurants, which depend so heavily on American tourists.”
A survey of 42 tour operators and educational travel organizations conducted in late January 2018 by the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) found that not one of their travelers reported suffering from health issuessimilar to those of the Embassy employees. Collectively, those surveyed sent more than 42,000 U.S. travelers to Cuba in 2016 and 2017. In addition, there have been no confirmed cases of similar illness among the estimated 700,000 private U.S. citizens who visited the island nation in 2017.
A lengthy ProPublica article, published February 14, 2018, provides the first detailed chronology of the diplomats’ afflictions and the subsequent official — but, to date, inconclusive — investigations by the United States, Cuba, and Canada, and makes clear that the general public is not threatened. In fact, in January 2018, Cuba was voted the safest place to travel at the International Travel Fair in Madrid.
During a meeting on January 12 with State Department officials, a group of American tour operators, travel associations, and Cuba experts were told that a Level 3 rating is automatically triggered by a “drawdown” of U.S. Embassy personnel as a result of the “No Double Standard” policy articulated in the Foreign Affairs Manual.
According to the State Department, this policy originated after the terrorist bombing of a passenger airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, in the interest of sharing information publicly about potential threats against U.S. citizens. That policy, however, also states it is “not intended to prevent the limited distribution of information about threats to specific U.S. citizens/nationals or U.S. organizations.”
“The ‘No Double Standard’ policy leaves the option for the State Department to report threats only to those parties that might be affected by similar incidents,” says Kate Simpson, President of Academic Travel Abroad, Inc, a Washington, D.C.-based educational travel company. “So why was this more limited approach not employed in the case of Cuba, given that the affected group consists only of diplomats, many of whom are known to be intelligence officers and their families?”
Simpson adds, “The fallout from the State Department’s actions has negatively impacted not only U.S. companies and institutions sending travelers to Cuba for educational purposes, but the lack of Embassy staff in Havana has also made it extremely difficult for Cuban citizens to attain visas for visits to the United States.”
On March 4, the State Department faces a mandatory deadline requiring that, six months after an Embassy drawdown, staff must either be reassigned or sent back to their original post. The draw down in Havana began in early September 2017 as Hurricane Irma hit the island and was increased to 60 percent of staff later in the month, in the wake of media revelations about afflictions to the two dozen U.S. diplomats and a handful of staff in the Canadian Embassy. Canada has launched an investigation but has not downsized its Embassy or issued any travel warning to its citizens.
The 28 tour operators and organizations specializing in educational travel to Cuba are calling for the State Department to return more consular officers to the U.S. Embassy in Havana. Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, President of the American Foreign Service Association, the union that represents U.S. foreign-service officers, and some diplomats who were interviewed for the ProPublica article indicated that this is also their wish — to return U.S. diplomats to Cuba. This would, the group hopes, eliminate the trigger that has categorized the country as a Level 3.
The group further questions how Cuba can be rated as a Level 3 while countries with known security risks — such as Israel, Egypt, Algeria, Mexico, and Ethiopia — are rated as Level 2. In addition, the State Department advisories for some countries include alerts pertaining to particularly dangerous parts of their countries. Mexico, for instance, while rated Level 2 overall, is given ratings of Levels 3 and 4 (“do not travel”) for certain states.
“While the new travel advisory system is a welcome improvement, in terms of clarity and organization,” says Ms. Simpson, “it is disappointing to have the Cuba rating starkly reveal political bias, undermining the credibility of the State Department’s consular services.”
A more acceptable alternative, Simpson and the other signers suggest, would be to rate Cuba at least Level 2 overall and designate the parts of Havana where the health incidents took place as Level 3. “Until it’s discovered what caused these ailments, a Level 2 rating, at least, would more accurately reflect the situation in Cuba,” explains Ms. Holbrook. “And it would help encourage those considering traveling to Cuba to do so.”
To read the full petition, click here. The list of tour operators and educational travel organizations who have signed the petition are:
Johann Besserer, Executive Director, Intercultural Outreach Initiative
Reid Callanan, Director, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops
Karin Eckhard, CEO & Co-founder, Espíritu Travel, LLC
Michael Eizenberg, President, Educational Travel Alliance
Malia Everette, CEO, AltruVistas
Michele Gran. Co-founder and Senior Vice President, Global Volunteers
Bob Guild, Co-coordinator, Responsible and Ethical Cuba Travel (RESPECT)
Kendra Guild, Director, Marazul Charters, Inc.
John Haffner, President, Cuba Trade and Travel
Marcel Hatch, President,Cuba Explorer Tours
Richard Hobbs, Esq., Executive Director, Human Agenda
Andrea Holbrook, President and CEO, Holbrook Travel, Inc.
Martha Honey, Ph.D., Cofounder & Executive Director, Center for Responsible Travel (CREST)
Tor D. Jensen, President, Jensen World Travel, Ltd.
Gabrielle Jorgensen, Director of Public Policy, Engage Cuba
Collin Laverty, President, Cuba Educational Travel
Lee Marona & Aja C. Napolis, President & Administrative Coordinator, Vaya Sojourns, Inc.
John McAuliff, Executive Director & Founder, The Fund for Reconciliation and Development
Janet Moore, President, Distant Horizons
Tom Popper, President, insightCuba
Bill Robison, Director of Expedition Development, Lindblad Expeditions
Melisa Riviere, Ph.D., President, Son Dos Alas: Cultural and Educational Travel
Peter Sanchez, CEO, Cuba Tours and Travel
Kate Simpson, President, Academic Travel Abroad, Inc.
Mark J. Spalding, President, The Ocean Foundation
Ned Sublette, Founder & President, Postmambo Studies
Kristen Tripp, Program Director – Cuba, Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures
The Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) is a policy-oriented research organization dedicated to increasing the positive global impact of responsible tourism. CREST assists governments, policy makers, tourism businesses, nonprofit organizations, and international agencies with finding solutions to critical issues confronting tourism, the world’s largest service industry.
Costa Rica: Chiquita Glamping & Pacuare River Raft vacation is the latest of over 30 “online-only” trips featured on Austin Adventures’ award-winning website.
BILLINGS, MT –The best of all worlds, including creature comforts while glamping in the wilderness, come seamlessly together on Austin Adventures’ new 8 day/7 night Costa Rica: Chiquita Glamping & Pacuare River Raft vacation. This is the latest of over 30 “online-only” trips featured on its award-winning website: https://www.austinadventures.com/.
With its newest Costa Rica program, year-round departures are flexible and may be arranged when it best fits participant’s own schedule, on a space-available basis. The per person double rate (based on a party of four or more) is from $3,998 for the core experience. Options exist to customize the itinerary to the guests’ wishes.
This luxury trip, without a lofty price tag, brings curious travelers to a country on the forefront of land and wildlife conservation. Over 25 percent of the country has been protected by the establishment of preserves, sanctuaries, refuges, and national parks. Costa Rica also offers one of the most biodiverse places in the world, Carara National Park located in the transition zone between Costa Rica’s wet southeast and hotter, drier northwest. The adventure begins here as guests explore the river basin of the River Tárcoles, which hosts one of the largest remaining populations of wild scarlet macaws in the country.
Guests then journey by boat to Isla Chiquita Glamping Resort, far off the usual tourist track. Home for three pampered nights, each large platform tent accommodation is equipped with a king bed, day bed lounger, private shower and bathroom with double sinks, and spacious lounging deck with stunning ocean views. From this isolated island, guests visit Curú National Wildlife Refuge with pristine beaches and abundant wildlife while gliding through the still waters of a protected bay in a kayak or on a stand-up paddleboard, watching tropical birds soar overhead. One morning guests transfer to Tortuga Island where white sands contrast with brilliant Caribbean blue waters. Snorkeling is popular here, as guests marvel at surprisingly colorful crabs and lobsters as well as vibrant tropical fish.
A local flight back to mainland beckons guests to engage in the premier whitewater rafting adventure in Costa Rica – on the Pacuare River (rated by National Geographic as one of the Top 10 river trips in the world). Here they visit the Cabecar Indian village and meet with the largest indigenous tribe in Costa Rica. A family of the community shares traditions they have used for centuries. After zip lining comes more rafting, leading to the deluxe, eco-sensitive Pacuare Lodge, accessible only by whitewater raft. Located at the center of a series of over 1.2 million acres of wildlife reserves, the lodge is both secluded and beautiful. Guests may opt to dine 60 feet above the forest floor in a platform built on the branches of a century-old Kapok tree. This lodge enjoys National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World status.
After two nights at the lodge and a final morning on the river, guests are transferred back to San José for a last overnight at Hotel Grano de Oro, a “Tropical Victorian” house which features a world-class restaurant. Airport transfers are offered the next morning.
For more information please see https://www.austinadventures.com/packages/costa-rica-isla-chiquita-pacuare-lodge/.
This is one of multiple programs Austin Adventures offers in Costa Rica where it has enjoyed relationships with top tourism purveyors for over 15 years.
“Costa Rica has always been our top selling international destination,” says Dan Austin, Founder and President of Austin Adventures. “We’re always on the lookout and open to what our well-established in-country contacts have to share when it comes to new, unusual and cutting-edge adventure opportunities. Together, we look for experiences away from the usual tourist track and crowds. The key is developing tour itineraries that appeal and captivate our brand of intrepid travelers.”
In the print version of its catalog, Austin Adventures features 65 separate destinations representing over 100 published tour options with over 40 also offered as a Family-Focused version. The website also showcases over 30 additional trips and destinations (not included in the catalog) outlining core itineraries that can be customized upon customer request. These online-only programs include, in addition to the Costa Rica vacation:
https://www.austinadventures.com/packages/arizona-havasupai/
https://www.austinadventures.com/packages/ireland-kerry-county/
https://www.austinadventures.com/packages/ireland-family-kerry-county/
https://www.austinadventures.com/packages/scotland-family-scottish-highlands/
https://www.austinadventures.com/packages/scotland-scottish-highlands/
To help plan, Austin Adventures’ 2018 catalog is available upon request. Order ONLINE or call 800-575-1540 or email [email protected]. For a full roster of 2018 trips that is frequently updated visit http://www.austinadventures.com.
SEATTLE, WA, Nov. 18, 2015 – Experiential travel leader Wildland Adventures — along with one of the country’s best-known outdoor retailers, REI – is closing its doors on Black Friday this Thanksgiving holiday and encouraging its staff, friends and family to enjoy the great outdoors for the day while also thinking of others less fortunate.
This year Wildland Adventures is also giving thanks to an alumni traveler and an incredible cause that she has embraced. The company is advocating a Thanksgiving “pay it forward” to assist the fundraising effort of a young Wildland client, Jamie Eisner, age 12, who is half-way toward a $6,500 goal that will help build a well for a school she recently visited on a family safari in Tanzania.
From now until the end of Black Friday (Nov. 28), for every adventure photo posted and tagged, Wildland Adventures will donate $10 – up to $500 — to building the fresh water well for the Mikocheni Primary School. Submissions should be tagged on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with #OptOutside and #Wildland.
“Before I visited Tanzania, I took for granted that I have easy access to water whenever I want, air conditioning, plenty of food, medicine, a great education, and so much more. The children at Mikocheni have none of this, but we can give them something that would change their lives,” explains Jamie. “With the well, the kids will do better in school because they’ll be less tired and less dehydrated. If they are doing better in school, then they will be more successful when they grow up, and live a better life.”
Approaching its 30th anniversary year, Wildland Adventures has a lot to give thanks for, and when better than at Thanksgiving, said Kurt Kutay, CEO/President, who founded the company with Anne Kutay, Vice President, in 1986. As active managing directors they are continuously refining and evolving their Wild Style of travel.
“The ‘Wild Style’ is based on an ethic of sincerity, compassion and understanding that breaks down barriers of separation to build lasting intercultural, interpersonal, and environmental bonds designed to enhance rather than exploit the people and places where they travel. By fostering genuine connections to create personalized experiences their travelers, Wildland fosters a growing and vibrant community of enlightened and compassionate travelers.”
Rivers Fiji’s mission is to enhance visitors’ and indigenous peoples’ appreciation for the culture and environment through socially responsible and environmentally sensitive interaction with the people, landscape and ecosystems that make the Fijian Highlands so distinct and unique.
Rivers Fiji, part of the O.A.R.S. Family of Companies, has been selected by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) as one of 15 finalists for its 2015 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. Considered the highest accolade for sustainability in the global travel and tourism industry, Rivers Fiji is one of only three companies in the Environment category being considered for the prestigious awards.
According to the WTTC, Rivers Fiji was selected for “protecting threatened forests and river systems” by running a low-impact commercial rafting operation in the Fijian Highlands of Viti Levu. And though the economic support given to the region is an important aspect of Rivers Fiji’s work—they’ve created jobs and given more than $1 million back to local communities in the last 15 years—it’s the unique conservation model the company helped foster that demonstrates the full extent of their commitment to sustainable tourism.
In 1998, Rivers Fiji, with the support of O.A.R.S. president and founder, George Wendt, and a group of local entities including two villages, nine mataqali (land-owning clans), a logging company and a government organization banded together to create the Upper Navua Conservation Area (UNCA). This unlikely public-private partnership included a 25-year land lease that has protected the area’s natural assets from logging, road building or mining in the fragile river corridor. Instead of quick money from resource extraction, the arrangement created long-term sustainability through tourism and one-day rafting trips year-round on the Upper Navua River.
Rivers Fiji also pioneered the establishment of Fiji’s first Ramsar site in 2006, which recognizes the UNCA as a wetland of international importance. Beyond these efforts, the company has developed outreach programs in partnership with local NGO Nature Fiji to provide educational river trips that enable local communities to experience first-hand the economic, environmental, and cultural importance of where they live. By supporting both community development and environmental conservation, Rivers Fiji programs strive to set the bar for ecotourism.
“The Upper Navua is a very special place which encapsulates the possibility of what ecotourism can achieve, to actively contribute to conservation and affect positive change,” said Wendt. “In cooperation with the team at Rivers Fiji and the commitment of local community partners, this is a wonderful honor and tribute to all those who have committed their time and vision to Rivers Fiji.”
The 2015 Tourism for Tomorrow winners will be announced during the 15th WTTC Global Summit in Madrid, Spain in April 2015.
Rivers Fiji’s mission is to enhance visitors’ and indigenous peoples’ awareness of, and appreciation for the culture and environment by providing activities that promote conservation and preservation through socially responsible and environmentally sensitive interaction with the people, landscape and ecosystems that make the Fijian Highlands so distinct and unique. To learn more, visit www.riversfiji.com and watch River of Eden, a short film by National Geographic Filmmaker & Freshwater Hero, Pete McBride at www.riverofeden.com.
O.A.R.S. has been providing whitewater rafting and nature-based vacations since 1969. Over the decades the company has set the standard in first-class rafting, sea kayaking and multi-sport adventures, with destinations and unparalleled experiences on over 35 rivers and coastlines around the world. In 2013 Outside, America’s leading multimedia active-lifestyle brand, named O.A.R.S. one of the top two outfitters in the world in its annual Active Travel Awards recognition program.
For more information on Rivers Fiji and O.A.R.S., trip availability, reservations or a copy of our 2015 Adventures catalog call 209-736-4677 or 800-346-6277, email [email protected], or visit: http://www.oars.com/.
Food is a natural bridge-builder and point of connection between cultures, says Jim Kane, founder of Culture Xplorers, a travel company whose signature is delving as deeply as possible into other cultures.
Food is a natural bridge-builder and point of connection between cultures, says Jim Kane, founder of Culture Xplorers, a travel company whose signature is delving as deeply as possible into other cultures.
“There is an exciting movement afoot that is opening up new frontiers of food travel” Kane explained. “Around the world, visionary farmers, producers and chefs are changing the way we think about our relationship with food and with each other.”
“In a similar vein, there is a revolution taking place in the way food travel is being interpreted and experienced. The new frontier of food travel is physically active, intellectually engaged, emotionally connected and truly transformative. It leverages the power of food to affect positive social changes and fosters genuine bonds that endure long after the trip ends,” said Kane.
Kane recently accepted a two-year appointment to serve on the board of directors of the World Food Travel Association (WFTA).
“I am looking forward to the privilege of helping to solidify the Association’s position as the world’s leading authority on culinary tourism,” said Kane.
Founded in 2003 by Association Executive Director Erik Wolf, the WFTA’s mission is to grow and professionalize the food and drink tourism industry as the central hub that supports the creation of successful, profitable businesses and the protection and promotion of local culinary cultures world-wide.
“We’re excited to have Jim join our Board of Directors,” said Wolf. “Jim has a wide range of experience with other industry trade associations and an interesting view that he can bring to bear in his service with the World Food Travel Association.”
Kane happily shares what he sees as three developing trends in the future of food travel:
#1 Adventure Foraging: “Autumn is a great season for foraging in Cataluña, Spain, where you can easily travel from the Pyrenees to the coast in the same day. One of my favorite adventures here is to accompany a seasoned botanist — alongside plenty of local ‘boletaires’ (mushroom hunters) — on a quest for highly prized, seasonal wild mushrooms in the forested foothills of the Pyrenees. Then switch gears and kayak along the Catalan coast in search of edible seaweed and aromatic herbs.”
#2 Trekking & Terroir: “This form of connecting with the land and local producers is already in full bloom in many places around the world. One of my favorite recent experiences is shadowing a Basque shepherd on an engaging variation of his morning rounds. First we try our hand at milking one of the indigenous Latxa breed of sheep which produce the region’s famed Idiazabal cheese. We make and chill ‘cuajada’ (fresh cheese curd) and taste some of the farmhouse cheese washed down with a bottle of refreshing, txakoli (sparkling) wine. A 90-minute walk through rolling hills and pine-covered trails works back our appetite just in time for lunch! “
#3 Food for Social Change: “This is a budding movement which is particularly strong in Latin America. One of my favorite regional projects is the Pachacútec Culinary Institute (ICP) just north of Lima. Peruvian super chef Gastón Acurio partnered with the Fundación Pachacútec to create a top notch culinary school along the coastal desert in Pachacútec. It recruits students from some of Lima’s poorest communities and costs a tenth the tuition of a private institute, offering life-changing opportunities to its graduates. As part of Culture Xplorers’ unique partnership with the ICP, we bring travelers for a cooking lesson side-by-side with the students, who then share this meal with the visitors.”
Culture Xplorers (http://www.culturexplorers.com/), a leader in sustainable travel, offers handcrafted journeys that deepen understanding and foster connection between travelers and local communities around the world.
Culture Xplorers trips are created from the ground up, built on three founding pillars: people, traditions and impact. Their travelers meet the people of the places they visit, engaging in the living traditions that make each destination unique, and in doing so, create a lasting, positive impact through tourism. Genuine connections with people and place are formed farm-to-fork and around the table, via participation in local celebrations and through authentic exchange with community leaders and members.
Countries where cultural exchanges are fostered are Peru, Guatemala, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, Portugal and Cuba. The Culture Xplorers Foundation was founded in 2007 to help foster the sustainability of local culture in at risk communities worldwide. Its positive impact partnerships focus on sustaining endangered traditions, strengthening education, fostering community-based travel and breaking the cycle of poverty through the support of comprehensive micro-loan and education programs. See: http://www.cxfoundation.org/
For 2014-2015 season information, tours, availability and reservations contact Culture Xplorers at 215-870-3585 or email: [email protected].
The Responsible Travel industry is turning its sights on animal welfare.
This issue will figure into the keynote address by Dr. Martha Honey, CREST Co-Director, at TBEX North America, which will be held September 11 – 13, 2014, in Cancun, Mexico.
In advance of her speech she has been asked to comment on an ongoing debate about captive dolphin tours in Cancun. Here is how CREST views the issue:
“Respecting animal welfare is an essential component of responsible travel. CREST believes that when at all possible, wildlife should live in their natural habitats.”
If wild animals are held in captivity, they should be guaranteed, at minimum, the following ‘Five Freedoms’:
Sufficient and good quality food and water
A suitable living environment
An opportunity to exhibit natural behaviors
Protection from fear and distress
Good health
(Check out Born Free UK’s Guide to the 5 Freedoms, which discusses the Five Freedoms in detail in the context of captive wild animals.)
Dolphins are socially complex and self-aware creatures, and we agree with World Animal Protection in that these animals “deserve to live a life free from captivity, where they can properly fulfill their social and behavioral needs.” A tank simply cannot provide them with the space, environment, and social freedom they need to thrive as they would in the wild.
The tour operator Intrepid Travel, a highly respected leader in responsible travel, has set a guideline that it is best to view wildlife where it belongs, but if a zoo or aquarium is ever visited, a visitor should make sure the facility adheres to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Code of Ethics before entering.
Also, interactions with wild animals should never involve physical contact with people, feeding, or other actions that disturb or alter their natural behavior. These actions often cause extreme distress for the animal and are health risks for both parties.
On the issue of captive marine animals, President Mark Spalding says, “We have admirable facilities that rescue and when possible rehabilitate and release marine mammals, sea birds and sea turtles. Some of these allow the public to visit and volunteer. And, many have advanced our knowledge of marine wildlife through research during their recovery.
“But like hospitals for humans, this is not where we want wild animals to spend their entire lives. We prefer to see them in the wild where they thrive.”
CREST works frequently in close collaboration and partnership with The Ocean Foundation.
